On possessions
Category: Misc.

“Once a year you should pretend that you are putting your house up for sale. You should fix the things that need fixing. You should clean the spots that need cleaning, and you should dispose of the items that you no longer use.”

It’s good advice (it came from a very wise woman). It makes sense; after all, why the hell should be willing you fix up a house for someone else but be willing to live in anything less?

Well ... I’ve been following this advice. This has also led me to put a car on the market.

This got me to thinking about possessions. It also led me to say the oddest thing:

“If I were to win the lottery, I would throw much of this crap out.”

Excluding the core items of my life (i.e. those things that I can say that I’ve used in the last year), 95% of what’s remaining falls into the category of “I don’t want to buy it again if I need it.” Do I ever really need these things again? No. Do they usually get lost in the sea of crap? Yes. Do I end up buying the newer model anyways? Yes.

So why do I keep this stuff? I have bags of old computer connectors. I have power cords. I have old furniture. I have a laundry list of things that I can say with 100% certainly I will never use again. In an effort to avoid discarding something important and thus causing future pain, I live my daily life in a clutter of crap.

While many people dream of a lottery win so that they can buy things. I dream of a day that I can throw things out.

(If you thought that this post was interesting, why not read another? Perhaps a random link? Or you could just read about me.)